How Would You Teach 9/11?

Patrick Foley has incorporated 9/11 into his curricula since 2001. (Adam Ragusea/WBUR)

During this long week of remembering the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington ten years ago, it's worth noting that for a new generation of American children, 9/11 is already part of a distant past. They view the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon through the same kind of sepia-toned lens as their parents might view the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Which raises this question: how should we be teaching 9/11? Across the city of Boston — and around the country — schools are already incorporating 9/11 lessons into their curricula. Some have classes devoted to the subject; others have special events planned — like an assembly or a moment of silence to remember the victims. But what are the lessons of that day, and where do they fit in the overall understanding of our country's history?

And how do we possibly respond to those questions with seemingly no easy answers.